Terror suspect in Canada loses appeal

Hours after losing a major legal ruling, a Sri Lankan-Canadian facing terrorism-related charges began the process Friday of appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Suresh Sriskandarajah, 30, has been ordered extradited to the United States for trial on allegations he worked for the Tigers in his native Sri Lanka between 2004 and 2006.

That order was upheld Friday by the Ontario Court of Appeal in one of six decisions released on key aspects of Canada's anti-terrorism laws.

"The evidence against Sriskandarajah, while mostly circumstantial, was extensive," the three judges wrote.

The ruling means Sriskandarajah - an accomplished academic with several degrees from local universities - is back in custody.

But his lawyer, John Norris, said Sriskandarajah is seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court and will apply for release on bail until the case is heard.

It will likely take about six months for word on whether the Supreme Court will grant leave for the appeal, which would involve a constitutional argument that Canada's anti-terrorism provisions are too broad.

That same argument was rejected by the Ontario Court of Appeal, which found laws passed in 2001 justifiably focus on the prevention of deadly terrorist acts and don't improperly cover conduct outside the scope needed to achieve that goal.

The three judges also dismissed arguments that there is no evidence Sriskandarajah knew he was dealing with members of the Tigers or realized he was supporting terrorists.

Sriskandarajah faces up to 25 years in prison for allegedly researching and buying submarine and warship design software, and communications equipment for the Tigers.

He is also accused of using students to smuggle goods into northern Sri Lanka under the code name Waterloo Suresh and laundering money in U.S. bank accounts for Tiger activities, including travel.

Sriskandarajah has said he only wanted to help young people after decades of civil war in the island country he left as a boy.

Sriskandarajah was arrested in 2006 after a joint FBI-RCMP investigation into supporters of the Tigers, a group declared a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997 and by Canada in 2006.

In all, 12 men were arrested in Canada and the U.S. Sriskandarajah was portrayed as the leader of four suspects with ties to the University of Waterloo.

Charges against two of them have since been dropped. Sriskandarajah's friend and co-accused, Ramanam Mylvaganam, is already in the U.S. after exhausting his appeals.

An unrelated aspect of the probe involved an attempt by four Canadians to purchase $1-million US worth of missiles and AK-47 assault rifles in New York from a police agent posing as an arms dealer.